Another blizzard, just another day in Minnesnowfreezeyourbuttoffota. Ya, you betcha!
I ventured outside for a couple of photographs yesterday. Chance looked at me like I was nuts. Chance doesn’t like the wind in the trees..it makes them move. He would be a good prairie dog.
Wind chills were about 50 BELOW ZERO. I will go outside if it is 25 or 30 BELOW ZERO…but 50 that is pushing it.
Someone asked “How do you stand it?” Well I dress for the weather. Usually with many layers. A hooded sweatshirt, a hat, a scarf and my big old long down filled parka. ( For me a scarf is a necessity..I can double wrap my face and tuck it in around my neck) My boots are good to 40 below zero and my gloves have thinsulate linings. If you go outside without the proper clothing you are going to freeze…not many fashionistas here in Minnesota…if someone looks fashionable then they are some cold skinny broads that won’t last a winter.
Chance is okay being outside for quite awhile. BUT he is an indoor dog…so we monitor him closely, when a dog starts holding up their paws or limping on three paws or just lays down licking their paws then they are too cold. On warmer days Chance will often lay down in a snow bank curl up and have a nap. Many people have dogs that stay outside all the time in Minnesota as long as they have a dog house with some insulation they are just fine. It has been my experience that if any part of a dog freezes it is the tips of their ears. I have seen many a cat with no ears or very short ears.
Someone not sure who used to say “Wear a hat or your ears are gonna fall off and you will look funny with holes for ears.” Might have been me.
You can see my bird watching bench has a real cold seat. The usual birds are here, Chickadees, Nuthatches and Woodpeckers but we are missing the thistle eating machines the little Redpolls. They must be eating elsewhere, perhaps someone stayed home this year instead of going south. Last year at this time we were feeding 10 pounds of Thistle Seed a week.
I hear that there is a LP (Liquid Propane) shortage in the Midwest. We filled our tank a few weeks ago, and the price went from $1.69 per gallon in October to $3.20 a gallon a few weeks ago and now it is up to $5.00 a gallon. With our fill two weeks ago we should be good until spring/summer when hopefully the price should go down. We have a high efficiency LP furnace. I feel sorry for people that have old LP furnaces…I cannot imagine paying their heating bill.
I worked on my organizing get rid of stuff project which is ongoing upstairs and we watched The TV Serial Centennial…it was originally shown on TV in 1978 and I have read all the books and recall most of it from years ago. Far Guy had never seen it so it was interesting for him. ( He could have been on deployment someplace when it was originally shown…which means he would have been stuck in a barracks with no TV.)
I don't own enough clothes to dress for your cold! Glad your lp is taken care of for now. That is one of many reasons we sold Nalley Valley. The propane bill was enormous.
ReplyDeleteYesterday we took Harriet for a ride, all bundled up in my old housecoat! It was around 50*! She did fine!
Glad you are enjoying some good tv on these long winter days. Take care.
Morning, Mother Nature was generous, she spread the blizzard around, oh Yay!!!!! Blessings Francine.
ReplyDeleteNow that is truly cold! Wow. When I lived in Colorado I owned lots of down for the cold but up here in the wet country it's useless. I also use layers, it's the best way to stay warm. :-)
ReplyDeletePoor kitties with their ears freezing. Our big red rooster's comb has frost bite from the single digit temps we had a few nights ago. I worry about all the animals in this cold weather. I admire your cheerfulness through all this! :)
ReplyDeleteThis morning right now it is 17 below zero - the temperature has been dropping all night. Read in this morning's paper about the big rise in price of LP gas and some are really suffering having spent so much already on their LP heating gas. So far our area is doing OK with the natural gas supply and we are even sending some to other areas that are short. (I live in MPLS.) No school again today for many districts including MPLS. There will have to be makeup days in June for most.
ReplyDeleteShirley H.
I'm glad to hear that you are staying warm. Have heard that so many people are running low on propane. we are having bad wind chills here in WI also - schools closed for the next 2 days - however, it's not as bad here as it is by you. I feel for all the people that have to be outside in this cold. Stay safe and warm.
ReplyDeleteI shoveled the front and back steps while Peter cleared the walks and driveway. I looked around and thought, gee, it's pretty, I should take some pictures. Then I went inside and stayed there. Can't operate my camera wearing mittens, and can't keep my fingers warm in gloves. Please do stay warm and safe!
ReplyDeleteWearing layers is the key and it doesn't take long to learn that UNLESS you want to be "cool." Cool people walk around in hooded sweatshirts trying to look tough. Someday they will be stranded away from their warm vehicle and freeze to death.
ReplyDeleteGlad you have a full propane tank and warm gear.
Oh my, that is too cold to even think about. A long time ago when I grew up in upstate NY, the cold really did not bother me but it somewhat does now. Maybe it's age but I think it is a combination of that with low thyroid. You are very, very smart to bundle like you do and Chance is fortunate to have such caring humans. I heard about the propane on the news, too. My thought is how did they run into a possible shortage? I know it's been colder than normal but still it's winter and companies should over-prepare for it. Or is that just my upbringing? Grandma always said it was better to have too much than not enough. Too much could be taken care of but being short on supplies, etc. could not always be corrected. She cooked for farmhands and whomever else might drop by.
ReplyDeleteOne of the pipelines went off line for maintenance and the farmers used propane to dry corn in the Fall using up much of the reserves. :(
DeleteBrrrr - that is far too cold! Keep warm and safe - and sane, if possible! ;-)
ReplyDeleteIt isn't that cold here in Ontario but the wind chills here are -40 °C and we have lots of snow this year ! You are right if your dressed for it you will be warm . I dress in layers as well , if there were fashion police I would be arrested lol but I don't care I am warm . Our Miggs who we think has Husky in her loves the cold and snow , I have to force her to come in . She is much like Chance likes to curl up in a snow bank , snow is a insulator and they seem to know that ! It is awful about the propane , when I was on the farm back in the 60's &70's we used propane , had two big tanks . I hope it gets better for all . Thanks for sharing . Have a good day !
ReplyDeleteI have never lived in an area as cold as Minnesota but I do remember spending many minutes dressing for a few minutes of the outdoors. We have great admiration for you.
ReplyDeleteThe 65 mph wind did come our way as it ushered in the cold air. We were fortunate to be on the edge of the snow and those east of us got a lot of snow. What ever we got the house just can't stay warm enough with the wind that strong. We have natural gas and we pay even payments so we don't suffer from the big bills. We have a huge electric bill though with the furnace blower running all the time.
ReplyDeleteYou sound like a sourdough...that is and old-time Alaskan!
ReplyDeleteBrrrr! That sure is about all you can do and that is dress for the weather or (hibernate!). Stay warm!
ReplyDeleteThank him for me . Deployment is so tough for the whole family! THank you thank uyou.
ReplyDeleteVery cold in Chicago too today. I ddi venture out to the car and to Walgreens but was home quickly. Wtaching Captain Phillips right now with Fireman. OMG those Seals and the Navy are amazing
We filled our propane tanks and were blessed that the price was not over $3.49 last week. Some places are being rationed, too.
ReplyDeleteWe hope by next year to have one of the large tanks that they come and fill when you need it done. And maybe a little more insulation, too.
It's been many, many years since we were in weather that was 50 below. Praying for your safety. Stay warm!
All through the boreal forest from Newfoundland to Alaska there was an excellent crop of cones so the redpolls have lots of food at home and are not coming to visit us. We've seen a few here.
ReplyDeleteWe are about the same temperatures up here in Manitoba. I for one am getting fed up with the pattern of blizzards every second day. Some of the reasons your gas/propane prices are hoing up have to do with a couple of train derailment up here as well as a pipeline explosion just a few miles from me. This has all happened within a couple of weeks. The news said that ND, Minnesota and Wisconsin have been asked to cut their usage. Also we sell power to these states as well as others and we up here are being asked to cut back so thst you guys have some way of getting heat even if it is from portable heaters. I hope you all stay warm. We have about 4000 people without heat up here. They hope to have a temp. Fix done for us by morning and have you guys fixed by the weekend. Love you blog and photos. Minnesota is one of my favourite places to visit.
ReplyDeleteWe heard about the natural gas and propane shortages and price increases on TV this evening. The costs for some were so high!
ReplyDeleteYour super cold temps have headed south. Hopefully the warming trend to follow will reach you too and help moderate enough so you and Chance can get out for walks.
You are so right about dressing properly. I did hear that down coats are the warmest and if I get back up there I may have to invest in one since it seems to be getting colder up there and my blood is thinner than it used to be.
ReplyDeleteIt never got out of the teens here today but at least we didn't get the ice that they got further South.
It's amazing how the animals fare in the cold...poor things.
Yep, thank goodness I have a newer furnace because they filled me up yesterday and it was $4.11. I'm on the budget plan but I bet it goes way up next year. Stay warm.
It sure doesn't pay to be fashionable up here unless it's above zero--LOL! Which I did some in my crazy younger days. Leather, form-fitting coats are just about useless in a Minnesota winter. I never wore hats or scarves or gloves, either. Kept frozen gloves in the car--LOL! Ah! Youth! So stupid.
ReplyDeleteYou are lucky to have your new furnace from what I have heard. There was a gas pipe broke somewhere up by Alaska or something and that was what I heard caused the shortage. I can't imagine running out of fuel in the winter!! OMG! Especially this winter. Glad you guys are safe and warm. :)